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How the Pacers finished within two games of a playoff spot without all-everything swingman Paul George last season is a testament to head coach Frank Vogel. With George back in the fold, the hope is that the two of them can pull Indiana from the NBA’s dreaded middle again. Not only did the Pacers lose George for all but six games last year as a result of a gruesome broken leg during a USA Basketball scrimmage in the summer of 2014, they also let Lance Stephenson walk in free agency. Once 2014-15 began, injuries cost George Hill, David West, C.J. Miles and Roy Hibbert another 73 combined games. It was a mess, but Vogel patched together a top-eight defense out of the remaining pieces and won 38 games in the East. [ Yahoo Fantasy Basketball: Sign up for a league today ] Then, West declined his player option and Hibbert waived a chunk of his trade kicker, foregoing more than $13 million combined to not play for the Pacers this season. Now, Georges Paul and Hill and Ian Mahinmi are the only rotation players left from the teams that pushed the Heat to six and seven games in the Eastern Conference finals in 2013 and 2014. As a result, the Pacers will take a different approach in 2015-16, starting George as the big forward in a small-ball lineup that now features Monta Ellis alongside Hill in the backcourt. The Pacers are essentially trying to recreate the Miami offense that ousted them from the playoffs in two straight seasons — only without LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh as the pillars — and Vogel better hope it doesn’t come at the expense of his defense. 2014-15 season in 140 characters or less : Thanks @FIBA & @usabasketball. Now we have to watch Solomon Hill for 30 min. a night. Get well @Yg_Trece. See you in 2015-16. # gonefishing
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